I just completed my first 5K race, the Cottleville Fall Run! I left the house with a simple goal: finish the race. From the practicing that I have been doing, I figured that it would take me around 40 minutes, not stellar but I would not be hauling my sorry *ss over the finish line […]
Running #6, Goal Achieved
I achieved my goal this morning and ran (more than) 30 minutes without a break! I would have run 40 but my left calf was tightening up. I didn’t want it to cramp so I quit running after about 37 minutes and walked home. I’ll try again on Tuesday morning. My next goal is to […]
Running #5, A Day of Surprises
It does not seem like a month since I started running but, sure enough, I wrote Now I’m a Runner back on July 20. This week I am up to running five minutes then walking five minutes (repeated three times, for a total of 30 minutes). A month ago, I could not have run for […]
Pulse 50
I guess all this running and walking is good for me after all. I had my annual physical today and learned that my resting pulse rate is down to 50. The new hybrid cars like the Ford Fusion shut their engines down completely at stop signs. I wonder if I can do that, too. 🙂
Running #4
I got there! When I first started running and stretching, I started doing the canonical hamstring stretch after each run. Close your eyes and picture, if you will, graceful and youthful me lithely stretching toward my oh so distant toes and failing miserably to achieve that oh so distant goal. My fingertips lingered in mid-air […]
Running #3
I ran again, yesterday; third time this week. All is still going well. I can sure feel the workout in various parts of my body but no pain, just aches from working parts of me that have not worked since dirt was new. This one was longer. I ran/walked for most of an hour and […]
Running #2
I ran again this morning. All is good with no aches or pains. (And if you believe that, I have this bridge to sell you….) Seriously, I am a little sore and can definitely feel parts of me which do not “normally” make themselves felt but nothing extreme. I am alternating between jogging for one […]
Now I’m a Runner
I’ve been walking almost daily for over a year and recently got to thinking about running, which I have never done. As a kid, I was always too chunky. As an adult, I have neither been in good enough shape nor have I had the motivation to get in shape. For the first time, I […]
Aged on the Best Authority
I have been walking regularly for over a year and have lost almost 30 pounds. Now I want to start running and the calcified structure within my skull nudged me and suggested that a little research might be in order before I hit the pavement. I checked the library and discovered that the authority record […]
Ban the Bikes!
St. Charles County, MO, will try to ban bicyclists from using some state highways, as reported in the Suburban Journals, Bill would ban bicycles from some highways in St. Charles County. How wrong can you get? In the year 2010, amidst all the hue and cry about poor health, obesity, and greenhouse gases from automobiles, Councilman […]
2,4-D Precautions
The chemical 2,4-D is a primary ingredient in many common home-use herbicides and I always figured that it must be safe. This morning, I was disturbed to find this on OSHA’s Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for 2,4-D (DICHLOROPHENOXYACETIC ACID): Personal Hygiene Procedures If 2,4-D contacts the skin, workers should immediately wash the affected areas with soap […]
Trouble’s Brewing
I just read a shocking article in the paper about a newly available intoxicant. It starts on the front page and continues for almost the entirety of page A8. That’s a lot of words for our local rag. Here are a few quotes so you can understand why so many people are concerned: The clerk at […]
Lose Weight, Save Money
I have dropped 24 pounds since last May, which makes me smile. Now, in addition to simply being smaller, I have two more reasons to smile. First, my last blood test for cholesterol levels came back with greatly improved numbers across the board. This means that I will likely be around longer to sponge off […]
199 Pounds!
As anticipated on December 22, today I made it down to 199 pounds for the first time since, well, since heaven-only knows when! To the groans of all, I celebrate with another six word story: One hundred ninety nine pounds. Yipee!
Goal Achieved!
Today, I celebrate. Since I began exercising and eating less on Memorial Day, I have lost 20 pounds! First goal achieved. 🙂 Next goal, which should be pretty quick if the gods of metabolism cooperate: Weigh less than 200 pounds. I cannot remember the last time I weighed less than 200 pounds. After that, I […]
Find Flu Vaccine Near You
Google has released a tool which may help you find a flu vaccine near you. Visit http://www.google.com/flushot or (soon) you can also visit www.flu.gov.
Health Care Reform is About People, Not Money
Health care reform is about people, not money. Specifically, it is our opportunity to assure that all Americans have access to good health care, not just the lucky 4/5ths of us. If your mom came to you for help getting medical care, your first response would be, “How can we make that happen?” Your first response […]
Grocery Insurance
I have a proposal to reduce the cost of groceries very significantly, something which I think will be welcomed in this goofy economy. We will form grocery buying cooperatives, essentially grocery insurance programs, which will amortize the costs of groceries across all buyers, lowering the costs for all and protecting people from the “oh shit!” […]
Reduce Risk – Stay Alive – Live Well
I like to feel safe and I like to know that my family is safe. I would wager that you do, too. John Goekler has written a crystal clear piece in CounterPunch, The Most Dangerous Person in the World?, which highlights the risks to our lives. Some snippets: A significant majority of Americans… list terrorism […]
Newborn Feeding Patterns Correlated to Adult Sleep/Wake Patterns
Researchers have found a strong correlation between newborn feeding patterns and the seemingly immutable “night person” or “morning person” patterns which govern our adult lives. Dr. Emily Erudita of the Hatch Institute of Mamalian Studies reports in today’s issue of Pan Generational Physiology, In a study of 1,063 adults, 97.2% of the “night people” had […]
